Editorial: Expand Medicaid

We may know as soon as today whether a handful of Republican state senators will decide that their ideology is more important than the lives of hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents.

That's the number of citizens, including about 6,000 residents in Calhoun County, who are entitled to Medicaid benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

After months of obstruction, Senate leaders are expected to allow a vote to on legislation supported by Gov. Rick Snyder, the Republican-led House of Representatives, and virtually all of the state's employers, doctors and patient advocacy groups.

Backers seem confident that allowing the bill to go to the floor will result in bipartisan approval. Yet it could still come down to a couple of votes, and could even require a tie-breaking vote from Lt. Gov. Brian Calley.

Although nothing new, it's still difficult to fathom.

It's no exaggeration that many of those lives are in the hands of lawmakers who have obstructed the expansion for absolutely no good reason.

Numerous studies have shown that that broader access to basic health coverage would reduce adult deaths. The bill would provide taxpayer-funded health care insurance, starting Jan. 1, to single adults earning up to $15,500 a year and to families earning up to $26,500.

Medicaid expansion would help those who most need a safety net, diverting uninsured patients from expensive emergency room care to primary-care physicians, dramatically cutting the cost of uncompensated care, costs that are passed on to consumers and taxpayers in the form of high costs.

The economic case against Medicaid expansion is weak at best, which is why even conservative editorial boards and business organizations have back Snyder's call to pass the bill.

In June, we cited at RAND Corp. study that found state planning to opt out of Medicaid funds would lose $8.4 billion in federal funding while they spend an extra $1 billion for uncompensated care and have about 3.6 million fewer insured residents.

The only case left for senators who continue to oppose expansion is a desire to stand against "Obamacare," which is the law of the land whether they like it or not.

It's shameful, really.

Half of the Senate's Republican members have vowed to vote against the legislation. That leaves 25, a solid majority, who can deliver access to basic health care to those least able to afford it.

It should be an easy call.

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Editorial: Expand Medicaid

We may know as soon as today whether a handful of Republican state senators will decide that their ideology is more important than the lives of hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents.